


The Change You'd Bring

by Chash



Series: Better Ways to Be Alive [9]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-06 03:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20284543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chash/pseuds/Chash
Summary: Gaia has seen a lot of kinds of magic in her life, but nothing like what Delilah Goodman has.





	The Change You'd Bring

**Author's Note:**

> Two notes! First, I'm running an **original fiction** fundraiser for the National Immigration Law Center. If you'd like to give to a great cause and get some original romance in return, you can check out the Crowdrise campaign [here](https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/strongerromance).
> 
> Second, I'm definitely struggling with motivation and mental health right now, and I don't want this series to be a further stressor for me. I'll definitely finish it, and might even keep going on the current Saturday update schedule! But in case I need to take a break, I wanted everyone to have the head's up before I miss an update. I think two or three more parts to wrap it up, but the timeline might be a little longer than planned.

There's something strange about Delilah Workman.

Gaia's not sure what it is, the strangeness. She's sweet and nice and probably a good first girlfriend for Jordan, but there's something off about her, this unfamiliar look to her aura that Gaia can't quite nail down. 

She knows what most auras mean. Madi is a witch, the same as Clarke; their magic glows around them, a nice, comforting kind of warmth. Bellamy is one too, but a different kind, and it's not hard to figure out that whatever powers he has are to do with animals, like Jordan's dad and plants. 

It can suck, sometimes, to have your superpower be knowing what cooler superpowers other people have, but Gaia likes it, likes feeling like she has access to the answer key at the end of the book. She's pretty sure Madi knows she's a witch, for example, but she doesn't actually know about Jordan's dad. He might just think he's good with plants. Gaia's the only one who knows _everything_.

Which is why Delilah is so frustrating. She's something new, someone with magical fingerprints on her but without magic surrounding her. Maybe she's something new, something Gaia has never seen before, but--it feels like witch magic. Like Madi somehow contaminated her, even though they only just met.

She spends all day trying to pin it down, and when she can't, she goes to the expert.

"Have you ever seen someone who looked like they--" She lets out a frustrated breath. "I don't even know how to explain it."

"Try," says her mother. "It doesn't have to be perfect."

"She has the same kind of aura as Madi and Clarke, but it's not--complete, I guess? It's like she has spots or something."

"Is there a pattern to them? Some concentration anywhere you can see?"

"Not that I noticed. I've only gotten close to her once, but Jordan likes her, so he wants her to start having lunch with us. I should see more of her."

"Does Madi know her?"

"Not any more than I do. Why?"

"My best guess--and this is just a guess--would be that she had magic worked on her. If Madi or Clarke didn't do it, someone else must have. You said there were other witches in your school."

"I don't think he knows her either," she says. She'd known Aiden Follows was a witch, the same as Madi, but she hadn't thought _they_ knew about each other. But Madi went to talk to him yesterday before class, and that's suspicious too. Something is going on, and it doesn't have to be about Delilah, but--maybe it is. "She's new this year, and every time I've seen her, I've noticed the spots. I think she had them before school started."

Indra nods, thinking it over. "See if you can find a pattern to the magic on her. That might give us a clue about what happened to her. Most likely, she had a tangle with magic she doesn't even know about and it left a mark."

Gaia swallows hard, trying to push her nerves away. It's her decision; even if her mom disagrees, it's her decision. But Indra does have insight on this. "I was thinking about asking Madi."

"You could do that," says Indra, smooth as sea glass.

The theory behind keeping their powers quiet is that they don't have anything to contribute, and some unscrupulous person might try to use their powers to their advantage. And it feels like it can't matter much, if Madi knows Gaia knows; there's nothing she could _do_. According to her mother, their job is to watch, and to pay attention, and to only intervene if there's danger, and there isn't, right now. They have a quiet little town without much drama.

"Maybe there's something she can see," Gaia goes on, like Indra hadn't agreed with her. "Or something she knows about magic being used on people. She might have ideas."

"She might. Do you need to know?"

"No, but I still want to. And maybe it _is_ a big deal. Maybe it's a problem. Maybe she's sick or in danger or something."

"As I said, it's your decision." Gaia's expecting that to be the end of it, but her mother goes on, "Madi has been a good friend to you, and I know you trust her. Clarke and Bellamy seem trustworthy as well. And if you're worried about this girl, I think you should try to figure out what's going on."

"Did you ever talk to a witch?" she asks. "Or tell anyone?"

"A few times. When something bad was happening. I don't think it's a secret you have to keep forever, but I think you should be careful. I was involved in fights between witches when I was younger, and I didn't always know who was on the right side. I thought I was doing the right thing. Sometimes I was wrong, but--we do the best we can with the information we have."

Madi already knows Gaia's biggest secret, the scariest one. The one Indra doesn't even know yet. And compared to that, telling her that she knows Madi's secret isn't so bad. And if there are sides involved in this, Gaia wants to be on Madi's. 

"Thanks," she tells her mom. "I'll let you know what happens."

Indra smiles, just a little. "Looking forward to it."

*

_I know you're a witch and you come from a witch family and I have witch questions_ is a very awkward way to start a conversation, and Gaia spends most of the next week of school trying to make it better. It's not like she doesn't do anything else during that time--she manages to watch Delilah without anyone calling her out on it, even if it doesn't help, and comes out to Jordan--but she catches herself watching Madi more than she should, trying to decide what to say to her. She does it so much she's worried Madi will think she has a crush, but if she notices, she doesn't say anything.

Gaia's apparently pretty good at looking at girls without making them feel weird. That's going to be a useful skill going forward.

Jordan has plans after school on Thursday, which means that Gaia and Madi aren't hanging out with him, and can hang out alone. It's a calculation that bothers Gaia, even though it's unavoidable. When she told Madi she thought she was gay, it wasn't like she _wasn't_ telling Jordan, she just got the chance to tell Madi first. It was just a matter of time before she told Jordan too.

But this is Madi's secret, and she may never want to tell Jordan. It might be something that's just for the two of them, and Gaia doesn't know how to feel about that. Part of getting older is probably deciding which friends get which secrets, but she doesn't like it.

Then again, it's way worse for Madi than it is for her. Madi, after all, is the one who's losing control of her own narrative, the one who had a secret that she doesn't get to choose if she wants to share. It could be good news, a relief to have someone else in on it, but maybe she liked being the only one.

Well, her and Aiden Follows. But still.

"Do you want to hang out today?" Gaia asks during gym. "Maybe go down to the river while it's still warm enough to wade?"

"Yeah," says Madi, easy, unsuspecting. "Stop by my place first, pick up the dog?"

"That's what I was thinking."

"Cool, sounds good."

It feels like she's still getting away with something, but apparently she's not playing it as cool as she thought, because as soon as they're on the bus, Madi turns on her. "What's with you? You've been acting weird all week."

Gaia's heart sinks. "All week?"

"Is it about, um--did you tell your mom or something? About--"

"No, it's not about that," she says. "I'll tell you when we get there? It's kind of weird."

Madi groans. "I was afraid you'd say that. No one's listening, you know."

It's not like Gaia wants to wait either. She's been trying to figure this out for days, and she wants it to be over. 

So she cocks her head, meets Madi's eyes, and says, with deliberatition, "Unless you know a magic spell to keep people from overhearing what we're saying, I think we should wait."

Madi stills in that soft, almost imperceptible way people do when they're caught off guard. She goes calm and cautious, and when she looks at Gaia, Gaia nods, just as small. She doesn't know if that's a spell Madi has, if that's how magic works, but--that's the question. Not if she has magic, if she has _this_ magic.

Madi's hand slides into her pocket, and her aura ripples, and then she says, "I do, actually."

Gaia looks down at herself reflexively, curious if she has fingerprints on herself, if the magic has left a trace, but she's just herself, ordinary and unremarkable. She can't identify people like herself, the strangest kind of blind spot.

"So, now they can't hear us?" she asks.

"Yeah. Try not to move your mouth too much, someone might get suspicious. Clarke learned a glyph where they hear us and just can't pay attention, but I like the muffling one better. I'm quiet a lot."

"And the bus is loud." She swallows hard, heart pounding in her throat. "A glyph?"

"Yeah. It's not really spells that we do. It's another language, and we use it to talk to our magic. So I touch the glyph, and my magic knows I want it to be quiet and makes it quiet." 

"Cool."

Silence looms over both of them for a moment, and then Madi asks, "How did you know?"

Of course she saw the question coming, but Gaia was still hoping to somehow put it off, avoid the most obvious thing. Like Madi wouldn't want to know that first and foremost. "I've always known. Since you got your powers on your birthday. That's, um--that's what I can do. I can see people's magic."

Madi takes a second, but it's just a second. "You couldn't see it before I turned twelve?"

"No. I've known about Clarke's for as long as I can remember, but I thought you didn't have any powers when you showed up. But then I kind of figured maybe that's why she adopted you. Because she knew."

"Yeah, that's what happened." She worries her lip. "So you can just--see? What does it look like?"

"It depends on what kind of powers you have. Yours and Clarke's are different from Bellamy's."

Madi lights up with excitement. "You can see Bellamy's?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know anyone else with powers like his?"

"Jordan's dad, kind of. But for plants. Maybe other people? Why?"

"Bellamy's always been kind of alone," Madi says, sounding wistful. "Like--he loves Clarke, and they've been friends forever, but they had different kinds of powers."

"Clarke had the same kind of powers her grandmother had," Gaia supplies, and Madi nods.

"Bellamy was always kind of different. He and Clarke figured out they both had magic, but they aren't the same kind. So he's always wondered if there are other people like him."

"I think so," says Gaia. "Not here. But in the world."

"Yeah." She cocks her head, considering again, and Gaia guesses this question before she says it too. "Why are you telling me now?"

"I always wanted to, but it felt kind of--weird. Like, how do you tell someone you know their secret? If you didn't want me to know--"

"It wasn't like that. I get it, but it wasn't like that." She wets her lips, looks down at her hands. "I was going to tell you. Soon. Jordan's supposed to get powers when he turns fifteen, and I didn't want it to be you and me and him in the dark. So I figured once he got his--"

Gaia has to laugh. "That's what I was afraid of! Me and you both knew and he didn't."

"I wanted to tell you guys anyway! Even before I knew Jordan was going to get powers. But it's a little--awkward."

"Yeah." She clears her throat, sobering. "I told you now because there's something weird about Delilah."

Her brow furrows. "Delilah? Like--Jordan's new crush? She has powers?"

"Not exactly. I don't really know what she has."

Madi nods. "You should wait to tell me until we get back. I want to know now, don't get me wrong," she adds, flashing a smile. "But Clarke and Bellamy will want to hear about it too. If that's okay."

Gaia likes Clarke and Bellamy, in a pretty limited sense. And they don't really feel like _adults_, even though they're the same age as Jordan's dad. They just spent so long being local weirdos and resources before they became Madi's parents. She probably would have gone to them if Madi _wasn't_ around, if she was worried enough. They totally would have helped.

"That's fine, yeah. Are we good?"

Madi's smile is immediate and bright and perfect. "We're awesome. Honestly, this makes my life so much easier. I was trying to figure out how to tell you. Do you have any other questions for me?"

"Thousands," she admits, her own smile feeling shyer, but Madi doesn't seem to mind.

"I figured. Go for it."

*

By the time they make it back to Madi's, Gaia has a much better idea of what being a witch actually _is_ and how their powers work. She's less able to give Madi an idea of her own powers, but she explains the difference between her and Clarke's auras and Bellamy's as best she can, and Madi just seems excited to have someone to talk to. Even though she's met some new witches recently, they're basically strangers, and she doesn't know how to talk to them about all the things that have been bothering her, and even just the regular, everyday things she takes for granted.

Gaia doesn't regret not telling her sooner, exactly--she didn't know how it was going to go, and caution's not a bad thing--but she's so glad she told her today.

Madi leads her in through the back, past the usual tangle of cats, chickens, and Maximus, plus a few bunnies and birds that aren't familiar to Gaia. Bellamy's magic really is so incredibly obvious, but it's easy to dismiss it when you think it's not possible. He could just leave out a bunch of birdseed and be lucky.

"Hey, Gaia can see magic," she calls, by way of greeting. "Including yours."

Bellamy frowns, head cocked at Gaia. "Yeah? What does it look like?"

"Kind of gray, I guess."

"Huh. Good to know."

"Also there's something magical and weird going on with Jordan's crush, I figured you and Clarke would want the details."

"Yeah, I love having more shit to deal with," he says, but his smile is as warm and understanding as ever, with no hints of annoyance. "You two want something to eat or drink? I assume this is going to be a long one."

They get settled in with tea and some fruit Clarke finds, and Gaia takes a long drink, collecting her thoughts. "So, I guess the background--I already told Madi--is that this is a family thing. My mom can see magic, I can too. All kinds, not just witches."

"You call us witches?"

Gaia shrugs. "We have to call you something, that seemed right. My mom knew someone who went by witch, so that's what she uses. I don't know what Bellamy likes to go by."

"Druid," he says. "For lack of any better term."

"And that's what Monty is too, but he's a different color. Because he's got plant stuff."

"But you can still see it," says Bellamy. There is something strange in his voice, like maybe that's enough to make him not feel alone, finding out what's happening to him is real too.

"Yeah. And there's other magic, like--I think there are probably people who have a little bit and don't even know? I'll pass someone and it's just barely there. Good luck or something."

"Is that how Delilah is?" Madi asks.

Clarke cocks her head. "Who exactly is Delilah? I don't think I've heard about her."

"Jordan's new crush. Gaia says there's something weird about her."

"The weird thing is she has the same kind of magic you guys do," says Gaia. "Witch magic. But it's like--just traces of it. Like someone tried to scrub it off her." Madi, Clarke, and Bellamy exchange a very unsubtle look, but no one _says_ anything. "What? Do you know what that means?"

"It's just a guess," says Clarke. "We don't have any evidence."

"More like paranoia," Madi huffs. 

"You thought it too," Clarke shoots back, and Gaia looks between them like she's watching a tennis match, but she doesn't know the rules. Which she kind of doesn't, actually; tennis isn't her sport.

"Thought what?" she asks.

"Remember the guy I told you about?" Madi asks. "The one who's teaching me and the other kids?"

"Yeah."

"He said he takes wild magic and binds it to himself. Bellamy's worried it's not just wild magic he takes."

"Wild magic like--the stuff that isn't connected to people?" she asks. She's still catching up with all the terminology.

"Yeah. Our magic will sense the unbound magic and we'll talk to it and figure out a way to bind the magic to an appropriate vessel. Like--some of the cats have magic bound to them. Can you see that?"

Gaia frowns. "Maybe. All Bellamy's animals look a little weird, honestly. I might not be able to tell the difference."

"Really?" he asks, perking up. "What do they look like?"

"I don't know. Just kinda--touched. By the magic. A little like Delilah, but--" She lets out a frustrated noise, and Clarke smiles.

"We know it's hard to explain, don't worry about it. It's magic, it's always weird to try to talk about."

"You know," Madi says, voice slow and thoughtful. "If Gaia can see _our_ magic, even though it's bound, maybe she could see what Mr. Wallace's magic looks like. How much he has."

"Maybe," says Gaia. "I know we can see stuff that other magic-users can't. My mom said--when she was younger, she didn't keep as quiet about it. People took advantage of her."

"We're not trying to do that," Bellamy says. He'd been standing on the side of the deck while the conversation went on around him, but he comes back over now, holding an orange-and-white cat Gaia doesn't recognize. It's not surprising, given how many animals there are around, but this one _does_ look different, even before he says, "This one has some magic bound to it."

"Yeah, I can tell, kind of. It's not the same as Madi and Clarke's magic? That's, like--it's a part of them. I can tell the magic isn't a part of the cat, you know?"

"That's how it feels to us too," says Madi, going over to scratch the cat's ears. "Is this how Delilah feels? Like it's someone else's magic that was worked on her?"

"No," says Gaia. "If someone could take her magic--that's what it feels like. Like she had it, and now it's gone. My mom thought maybe someone cast a spell on her, but--I think I could tell if it was someone else's magic."

"We don't know it was Mr. Wallace," Madi points out. "It could just be a coincidence. I don't think it is!" she adds, quickly enough that Gaia suspects this is an ongoing argument. Madi _did_ say that Bellamy and Clarke didn't trust this Mr. Wallace guy. "It seems more likely that it is him. But we're also looking for reasons for him to be a bad guy. This is just the latest one."

"It would be kind of weird for him to return to the scene of the crime," Clarke muses. "If I stole someone's magic, I wouldn't be back next year to teach new kids. And he probably would have noticed Aiden when he was here, he already had powers. And we would have noticed him looking for people."

Madi worries her lip. "But it wouldn't have been here. Delilah is new this year, they just moved. It could be because she lost her magic. But I don't know where she moved from. Jordan might."

"You think we can tell him now?" Gaia asks. "Or do we have to wait until he turns fifteen?"

Bellamy makes a face, but it might be because the cat is petting itself on his jaw. "Not to be that parent, but I think we have to check with Monty first. I don't want to steal his thunder. Maybe there's a whole family speech."

"Have you just always been able to see magic?" Clarke asks, sounding curious. "For your whole life?"

"Yeah. When I was little, I didn't know to keep it quiet, but people just wrote it off as kid weirdness when I said, like, that tree's angry. Or when I said Jordan's dad was special. No one takes that stuff seriously, I just had a big imagination. And once I was old enough, my mom could teach me not to talk about it. At first, she said it was rude, but she told me the truth by the time I was like five or something."

"And she never wanted to tell us?" She doesn't know Bellamy well enough to be sure about a read on his tone, but she bristles anyway, the defense of her mother kneejerk and automatic.

"She would have if she needed to."

"I'm just curious," he says. "It's a weird power to have, I don't know what I would do with it if I were you."

"She knows I'm telling you now. This is the kind of thing she'd do, talk to someone she trusted when she found something she didn't recognize."

"Does my magic look different from Madi's?" Clarke asks, an unexpected change-of-subject she must have been dwelling on. Based on her sheepish smile, she realizes no one else knows where this is coming from either. "Sorry, still thinking about Dante Wallace. Different people's gifts look different to me, I don't know if that's true for you."

"They look pretty similar, but I've never really--" She bites her lip, considering. "You and Madi should stand next to each other. With the cat, too."

It's like they're posing for a family photograph, if Bellamy had suddenly turned into a cat, and Gaia almost lets out an inappropriate giggle. There's a strange vibe to the whole encounter, and she's giddy and nervous and relieved all at once. It's going well, right? And she still trusts these people, even though they're already plotting to use her powers to their advantage. It's not like they had time to plan this, unless Madi has some telepathic powers or something. They're figuring this out on the fly, and on the fly, they think she can help. They _need_ her help.

It's a little exciting.

"So, I can tell those are all the same kinds of magic?" she says, studying them carefully. "Like, I never knew what exactly you guys could do, but I knew that you were both witches, and Bellamy was something else. But now that I'm looking hard--it's the same kind of magic, but I can tell the difference, yeah. Like slightly different skin colors."

Bellamy and Clarke exchange a look. "Your mom has the same powers you do, right?"

"Why?" Madi asks, before Gaia can.

"Because if we're going to ask Gaia to do anything dangerous, we're going to tell her mom first," says Clarke. "We don't do codes of secrecy here. There's no reason Indra can't know, right?"

"No," Gaia says. "But--know _what_?"

"I think we need you to take a good, hard look at Dante Wallace," Clarke says. "And find out exactly what his magic looks like."


End file.
